Browns coaching search carries on Saturday

Oregon head coach Chip Kelly, right, signals a 1-point safety to the referee during the second half of the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football game against Kansas State, Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)

The Browns might be the front-runner to end up with Chip Kelly, but they were unable to secure the head coach of the Oregon Ducks after meeting with him for seven hours Friday.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Browns are close to an agreement with Kelly to make him the Browns sixth-full-time head coach since 1999.

Late Friday night, Chris Mortensen of ESPN reported Kelly was going ahead with scheduled interviews with the Eagles and Bills before making up his mind. Kelly was to meet with the Bills on Friday night and the Eagles today.

Team owner Jimmy Haslam III and CEO Joe Banner began meeting with Kelly at about 2 p.m. Friday, a little more than 14 hours after the Oregon Ducks smashed Kansas State, 35-17, in the Fiesta Bowl. Mortensen reported Kelly agreed to meet with the Browns again Saturday night. No significant obstacles are likely to hold up contract negotiations.

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"I want to get it wrapped up quickly and figure out where I'm going to be," Kelly said in his postgame news conference Thursday night.

While the lengthy interview with Kelly was going on, Albert Breer of NFL Network reported the Browns "are prepared to open the vault for Chip Kelly."

Kelly is making $2.8 million annually at Oregon, with another $1 million in incentives when his team appears in a BCS bowl game. He reached that goal all four years in Eugene while guiding the Ducks to a 46-7 record.

As if to allay fears about how Kelly's high-tempo, no-huddle offense would work in the NFL, this item appeared on the National Football Post on Friday morning, about three hours before the Browns interview with Kelly began:

"Some NFL executives have questioned whether or not Chip Kelly's style of offense will play in the pros. Kelly, however, has been putting this message out through back channels: He would not run the same offense he runs at Oregon if hired by an NFL team. Instead, he would run a pro-style offense, but with a faster tempo than most and with a good dose of no huddle.

"The NFL model for Kelly might be similar to what the Patriots run. Also in question is the way he makes his practices grueling.

One NFL front office man said Kelly would have to lighten up the practice pace, especially later in the week, or he would have no players left by the middle of the season."

The CBA implemented in 2011 strictly limits how long teams can practice, so Kelly would have to pull back on the throttle whether or not he wants to.

What makes that post intriguing is NFL Network analyst Mike Lombardi owns National Football Post, or at least used to. Lombardi has ties to Kelly through Patriots coach Bill Belichick and is the leading candidate to become the Browns' next general manager. Adam Caplan of Sirius XM Radio is reporting Lombardi is already doing his homework on potential free agents for the Browns.

The Browns never went public with their short list of coaches to replace the deposed Pat Shurmur, but every report indicated Kelly was the top choice of Banner and Haslam.

Once a deal is finalized, the Browns can move swiftly to announce Kelly as their head coach because they already complied with the "Rooney Rule," which requires a team interview a minority candidate for a head coaching vacancy. The Browns took care of that on Tuesday by interviewing Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton while they were waiting for Friday so they could interview Kelly.

Former Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt plus Doug Marrone of Syracuse and Bill O'Brien of Penn State were also interviewed by Haslam and Banner.

The Eagles, said to be hot after Kelly most of the week, requested permission to interview Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians and Seahawks defensive coordinator Gus Bradley. Those interviews will have to wait until after the Colts and Seahawks finish their final playoff game.

The Eagles and Bills, who were also interested in Kelly, have asked the Broncos permission to interview Denver offensive coordinator Mike McCoy.

Kelly's vow to run a more conventional offense has to be good news for Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden. Weeden would not be much of a threat as an option quarterback, but he could be more effective in a vertical offense than he was in the West Coast offense Pat Shurmur used the past two seasons.